Wakefield Trinity Community Foundation are thrilled to announce that we have received delivery of eight brand-new custom-made Rugby League Wheelchairs from our new Partners Cyclone Mobility!
The Foundation has substantially grown its Wheelchair squads since the relaunch of the team in June 2025, with 22 players now sitting across our First-Team and Reserves.
In order to ensure the highest quality of experience for our Wheelchair players and to grow Wheelchair Rugby League outreach in schools and community settings around the Wakefield District, the Foundation committed to fundraising £20,000 this year in order to purchase new Wheelchairs.
Thanks to the incredible support received from February’s Wheelchair Fundraising Dinner, which saw five-figure donations from Club Partners, 24/7 Concrete, and Wakefield Trinity Owner, Matt Ellis, the Foundation have fundraised more than £33,000 for our Wheelchair team, allowing us to purchase eight new Wheelchairs.
The custom-built Wheelchairs have been supplied by Cyclone Mobility, a leading provider of rehabilitation and mobility solutions across the UK, who have taken their first steps into Wheelchair Rugby League as the team’s Official Wheelchair Partner – the first partnership of its kind in domestic Wheelchair Rugby League.
Jack Pemberton, Inclusion & Social Lead at the Foundation, discussed how valuable the new Wheelchairs will be in supporting our Wheelchair teams and developing the growth of the sport in the city.
“It’s amazing to have received handover of our new Wheelchairs, purchased through Cyclone Mobility,” he said. “We were in desperate need of new Wheelchairs, having grown the team to 22 players over the course of the last 12 months, a lot of whom were brand new to the sport and didn’t have their own sports chair.
“We’ve been able to get these chairs a little bit quicker than we thought we would do, which is massive as it allows the Foundation to get out into schools and community settings, deliver taster sessions and outreach delivery as well as signposting people to the team alongside catering for our players at training sessions and matches too.
“The support we’ve received has been incredible and this would not have been possible without the support of Matt Ellis, 24/7 Concrete and everyone else who donated to the fundraiser.
“Buying a sports Wheelchair is a fair amount more expensive than buying a pair of rugby boots. For a chair, you’re looking at £2,000 to £3,000 a piece.
“Last year, we had four weeks to get everything started virtually from scratch, from players to coaches to volunteers. So to be here now, 12 months on, with 16 Wheelchairs, 22 players, 18 of whom have a disability, we’re really proud of how far we’ve come. There’s still a long way to go, but we’re really proud of what we’ve done so far.”
Jimmy Gittins, Director of Wheelchair Rugby at Wakefield Trinity, has been instrumental in working with Cyclone Mobility to ensure the provision of the new chairs.
Gittins said: “I’m really proud of the partnership we’ve built with Cyclone Mobility. We’re one of the only Clubs in Wheelchair Rugby League to have this sort of relationship with a Wheelchair supplier. I’ve worked with Cyclone for many years and they’ve supported me in several fundraising challenges, so we’re really grateful and thankful for what they’ve done for us.
“Cyclone really bought into our team’s values and when we spoke about the need for good quality chairs for our players, they really took that on board and have really delivered an amazing entire package for us, including support with the maintenance of the chairs.
“I genuinely don’t think anyone could have predicted that we would end up at this stage 12 months ago and we have to give a special thank you to everyone at the Club, including Matt Ellis and Daryl Powell and his coaching staff as well as Steffie and Chrissy and everyone at 24/7 Concrete for their incredible support. Without them, we wouldn’t be here today collecting these wonderful new Wheelchairs.”
The purchase of the new Wheelchairs would not have been possible without the support of those who donated to our fundraiser, including Club Partners, 24/7 Concrete.
Discussing their support of Wakefield Trinity Wheelchair, Steffie Vause, Director at 24/7 Concrete, explained: “My brother, Chrissy, is paralysed from the waist down, so he uses a Wheelchair and when we learnt about the Wakefield Trinity Wheelchair team, we put his name forward to join the team.
“He knew nothing about it when he first got the call from the coach but he has since really enjoyed being part of the team and wearing the number 24.
“Here at 24/7 Concrete, we’re big supporters of Wakefield Trinity, local charities and our community, so when we learnt about the fundraiser for new Wheelchairs, we wanted to get involved and it felt like the perfect opportunity for us.
“We understand how important using the correct Wheelchair is, how much they can cost and how needed that equipment is to succeed.
“From speaking to Matt at the Fundraising Dinner in February, we were able to work together, alongside the other donations to ensure that we could raise the money needed to purchase the new Wheelchairs from that night, which was incredible.
“We love being part of our local community and to give something back to our customers and suppliers. We work really closely with Matt and his family, so it’s great to be able to continue to support Wakefield Trinity and the Foundation too.”
The new Wheelchairs have been supplied by Cyclone Mobility, who have decades of experience in supplying bespoke Wheelchairs.
“Cyclone have been providing everyday Wheelchairs in the UK for over 30 years, and for the past 15 years, we’ve partnered with GTM on both everyday and sports Wheelchairs,” said Karen Dunne, the Managing Director at Cyclone Mobility.
“This is our first experience with Rugby Wheelchairs, so when we were contacted with Wakefield Trinity, we were thrilled to be involved and to able to supply the chairs.
“Hopefully these new chairs can support the continuation of a strong and competitive Wheelchair Rugby League team and we’re looking forward to seeing how the team evolves following the delivery of these new chairs.
“Cyclone started in business because our founder, Stuart Dunne, was in a Wheelchair and played Wheelchair Rugby for Great Britain, so to support causes like this, is something that is really at the core of who we are.”
For more information on Wakefield Trinity Wheelchair, please email our Social & Inclusion Lead, Jack Pemberton, on jack.pemberton@wakefieldtrinity.com!